Types of data

Design a study to investigate students’ experiences of online learning.

In your answer you will gain credit for providing appropriate details of the following:

• the type of self-report technique that will be used, with justification

• an example of one relevant question that could be used to collect qualitative data, with justification

• how you would ensure the ethical treatment of participants

• how content analysis could be used to analyse the qualitative data.

A researcher wanted to investigate the types of play parents engaged in with their children. Ten children and one parent of each child took part in the study. The researcher asked each parent to keep a diary for a month about the types of play their child engaged in.

Is the diary primary or secondary data? Justify your answer.

The researcher decided to interview some of the parents about their child’s play.

Explain why the data collected from the interview might have improved upon the data collected from the diaries.

In the interview the researcher collected some qualitative data.

Write one question that could be used in the researcher’s interview that would produce qualitative data.

Identify one limitation of qualitative data.

Studies into the effectiveness of drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Studies into the effectiveness of drugs in the treatment of conditions such as eating disorders sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Studies into the effectiveness of drug therapy in the treatment of stress sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Explain one strength and one limitation of collecting quantitative data in this study.

In an experiment into the effects of cognitive priming, 20 participants played an unfamiliar computer game. Half of the participants watched a violent film before playing the computer game. The other half watched a neutral film before playing the computer game. After playing the computer game, each participant was classified as showing High Aggression or Low Aggression.

The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.

Referring to information about the study, explain two other reasons why it was appropriate to use a Chi-Squared test in this case.

In an experiment into the effectiveness of the top-down approach to offender profiling, 20 participants were asked to build a profile of an offender using information from real life cases. Half of the participants were given information about a murder case and asked to produce a profile. The other half were given information about a robbery and asked to produce a profile. After the profiling session, each profile was classified as High Accuracy or Low Accuracy.

The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.

Referring to information about the study, explain two other reasons why it was appropriate to use a Chi-Squared test in this case.

In an experiment into the effect of reinforcement on gambling, 20 participants played 10 practice card games on a computer. The computer system was pre-programmed so that half of the participants won in games 1, 2, 6, 8 and 10 and the other half won no practice games. After the 10 practice games, each participant played a test game and the amount of money each participant bet in the test game was classified as High Stakes (gambled more money) or Low Stakes (gambled less money).

The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.

Referring to information about the study, explain two other reasons why it was appropriate to use a Chi-Squared test in this case.

The data from the observation was summarised by converting the number of agreed observations into a total social behaviour score for each child.

The researcher then conducted a statistical test to identify whether there was a significant difference between the social behaviour scores for the children of stay-at-home parents and those of working parents.

Identify an appropriate statistical test that the researcher could use to analyse the social behaviour scores in this study. Explain three reasons for your choice in the context of this study.

Explain one reason why collecting quantitative data could reduce the validity of this study.

In this study, the mood scores were assumed to be an interval level of measurement because the test of mood was standardised.

Explain how you could convert the mood scores from this study into: i) ordinal data and ii) nominal data.

In this study, the mood scores were assumed to be an interval level of measurement because the test of mood was standardised.

Explain how you could convert the mood scores from this study into: i) ordinal data and ii) nominal data.

In this study, the mood scores were assumed to be an interval level of measurement because the test of mood was standardised.

Explain how you could convert the mood scores from this study into: i) ordinal data and ii) nominal data.

A researcher wanted to investigate whether there was a relationship between locus of control and resistance to social influence. Before the investigation began, he devised a questionnaire to measure locus of control.

Why would the researcher’s questionnaire produce primary data? Suggest one limitation of primary data.

Researchers investigated whether the experience of bullying is influenced by attachment type. They interviewed teenagers about their early attachment experiences . Following the interviews, the teenagers were categorised into two groups based on their attachment type:

• Group 1 – secure attachment in childhood

• Group 2 – insecure attachment (insecure-avoidant or insecure-resistant) in childhood.

During the interview, the teenagers were also asked about their experience of bullying. They were categorised as either:

• having had experience of bullying, or

• having had no experience of bullying.

Which statistical test would be most suitable to analyse the data in this investigation? With reference to this investigation, explain three reasons for your choice of test.

The researcher collected quantitative data about how well rested the students felt.

Explain one strength of collecting quantitative data in this study.

Explain one limitation of assessing sleep quality using a rating scale of 1–10.

A psychologist reads a review of a meta-analysis confirming the relationship between recreational screen time and academic performance.

What is meant by the term meta-analysis?

The researcher analysed the data in Table 1 using a Spearman’s rho statistical test.

With reference to level of measurement, explain why Spearman’s rho is an appropriate statistical test for this data.

The interviews produced qualitative data.

What is meant by qualitative data? Give one strength of collecting qualitative data in this study.

In an experiment, researchers arranged for participants to complete a very personal and embarrassing questionnaire in a room with other people. Each participant was tested individually. The other people were confederates of the experimenter.

In condition 1: the confederates completed the questionnaire.

In condition 2: the confederates refused to complete the questionnaire and asked to leave the experiment.

The researchers tested 15 participants in condition 1, and 15 different participants in condition 2.

The researchers recorded the number of participants who completed the questionnaire in each condition.

Identify the type of data in this experiment. Explain your answer.

A researcher wants to investigate the effectiveness of physiotherapy in the recovery of stroke patients with brain damage. Carers of stroke patients will be sent questionnaires to produce quantitative data.

Explain one disadvantage of obtaining quantitative data in this study.

Write one question that could be used in the researcher’s questionnaire to produce quantitative data and one question that could be used in the researcher’s questionnaire to produce qualitative data.

Quantitative question:

Qualitative question:

A psychologist is investigating causes of aggressive behaviour. She interviews teenagers who have been in trouble at school. She asks them to describe their family and early childhood, recording everything that they say. She also looks at information in the teenagers’ school reports.

Referring to this investigation, explain the difference between primary and secondary data.

A psychologist is investigating causes of offending. She interviews offenders who are in prison for violent crime. She asks them to describe their family and early childhood, recording everything that they say. She also looks at information in the offenders’ court and prison reports.

Referring to this investigation, explain the difference between primary and secondary data.

A psychologist is investigating causes of addiction to gambling. She interviews people attending debt counselling for problem gamblers. She asks them to describe their family and early childhood, recording everything that they say. She also looks at information in the gamblers’ debt counsellor reports.

Referring to this investigation, explain the difference between primary and secondary data.